Ever since Pat Johnson can remember, she’s been fast. Really fast.
“I was the only little girl surrounded by boy cousins growing up, but I’d race them. So, I was pretty fast, then I started running cross country in second grade, and by the time I got to high school I was an All-American sprinter.”
She needed to be fast by the time she joined Atlanta United –– there was a lot to do in a short amount of time. As the front office started to take shape, the first person in was club president Darren Eales. But employee number two – before Carlos Bocanegra or Tata Martino and well before the first match – was Pat. But her story takes plenty of twists and turns before then.
“I was a military kid, so I lived all over, but mainly in Colorado and Washington, DC. I came to Atlanta in 2004. I was working for a liquor company doing national urban marketing, so we were doing celebrity parties all over the country in seven different cities every month.”
But after layoffs at her company, she had her bags all packed up and ready to move away. That’s when opportunity came knocking with one of Atlanta’s brightest stars.
“I got a job with Usher right as his biggest album dropped, Confessions. I became the main point of contact for all of his ‘entities’: his performances, tours, appearances, TV dates, his recording, his nonprofit, all that stuff came through me.”
After three world tours, two movies, and two more albums, Pat moved on to other avenues in the entertainment industry. She would’ve stayed there too, but there was a new opportunity in the sports world that she couldn’t pass up.
“One of the only things that could’ve gotten me to leave my job was I knew I’d love to work for Arthur Blank. When he got involved with Atlanta United , I knew we would have the support that we needed to move forward and get up and running right."
"I knew soccer was huge everywhere else, why not in Atlanta?"
While she came from a non-sports background –– “they brought Carlos [Bocanegra] and Darren in to handle the soccer part!” she says, laughing –– she was key to the team’s launch. From using her legal background to help with contracts, to reading fan letters about the suggested name, she was ready to get her hands dirty and help build a top-class organization. It was an exciting, sometimes stressful, time – but she knew it was the right decision.
“I thought it was awesome, building a soccer team from the ground up into a major franchise. You get that opportunity once in a lifetime, if that."
"Then when I got here, we already had something like 10,000 Founding Members. I was like, really?! That alone made me realize this has the potential to be something really big.”
And it did become something really big: records both on and off the field in a remarkable inaugural year, and that’s just the beginning. For the people like Pat who helped it grow from the start, it’s a been a thrilling and educational experience.
“I’ve just learned that being genuine is key."
"If you’re genuine and authentic, I think it resonates with people, and I think that’s what Atlanta United has been from the very beginning. When we started, it grew from a grassroots level. We invited everyone in to make them feel like they’re involved with the process, and I think people really appreciated that. Then when it finally came time to play, everyone was already really behind it and excited about it.”
And not only has it helped Pat get to know the beautiful game, she’s learned more about herself, and the city she calls home at the same time.
“People were really waiting for something like this. I don’t think I realized how big soccer was in the Southeast until I really got into Atlanta United. I think it brings a sense of pride."
"There’s so many transients here. Those people can say, this is our thing now. They were there from the beginning, this is our team and this is who we are.”
But Pat, just like the club, isn’t satisfied yet.
“I want that MLS Cup,” she says with a smile.
© 2026 Atlanta United FC
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